Olivia O’Toole was part of the Republic of Ireland senior women’s team between 1991 and 2009. Winning more than 130 caps, she remains the team’s record goalscorer having netted 54 times. Born and bred in Dublin’s north inner-city, she remains embedded in the local community and works as a recreation officer with Dublin City Council.

Paul Linehan has been a Middlesbrough fan for about 40 years, writes Eoin O’Callaghan

Swansea 1 Chelsea 0: It was, of course, Alan Hansen who famously suggested “you can’t win anything with kids” 21 years ago before a youthful Manchester United won the Premier League title.

Anticipating the great wave of ennui that would sweep the land following another Kilkenny All-Ireland win, telly chiefs were good enough to distract us with a welter of sporting fare this week, largely uncontaminated by on-field action.

There was much delight among travelling Gooners at being geographically blessed with the dream ticket promotion of Watford, Bournemouth and Norwich.

Chelsea brought out all that is characteristic in Shearer and Savage when they locked horns on the subject of the champions-in-waiting on Match of the Day at the weekend.

Two lucky families who wish to remain anonymous have collected their shared €10.6m jackpot from Easter Saturday’s Lotto draw.

Social media has been alight overnight with the news that Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is set to announce today that he is to leave his boyhood club at the end of the season.

Ireland newcomer Cyrus Christie has revealed his swashbuckling debut on Tuesday was tinged with sadness due to a family bereavement.

There’s patient and there’s asleep at the wheel

It was far from a normal result, but Jose Mourinho claims he had the most normal of reactions. The last time Chelsea hosted Arsenal, back on March 22, they secured their biggest ever win over their London neighbours, with a 6-0 destruction.

No matter what else the television sports year offers up, we think we saw its most delightful touch last Saturday night.

Summer signing Mauro Zarate volleyed a debut goal in West Ham's 3-1 Premier League victory at Crystal Palace today to ease the pressure on manager Sam Allardyce.

Premier League team news for 3pm kick-offs.

Phil Neville aims to use his role as a Match of the Day pundit to build his own philosophy and grow into a top-class manager over the next 25 years.

We are the boys in green

No one who went to a football match in England on Saturday, April 15, 1989 is likely to forget what happened that day.

When Mohamed Al Fayed, standing on the Craven Cottage pitch for the last time as chairman, reached into his pocket and pulled out a giant comedy moustache for a photo shoot with new owner Shahid Khan — who has his own giant very real moustache — Fulham fans everywhere must have smiled.

Highlights include Breaking Bad and The Rose of Tralee

The racism row surrounding Sergio Garcia took another twist this afternoon when European Tour chief executive George O’Grady used the phrase “coloured athletes” when discussing the decision not to sanction the Spaniard.

The appointment of Paolo Di Canio as Sunderland head coach has hit the headlines this week in more ways than one.

Dolphin and Young Munster will be left twiddling thumbs this weekend after their eagerly awaited Ulster Bank League derby clash was called off due to an unplayable Musgrave Park pitch.

When Howard Webb blew the final whistle at Old Trafford the roar made it sound as if Manchester United had just beaten somebody big.

Mark Hughes will decide what club punishment to hand down to captain Joey Barton for his conduct during yesterday’s 3-2 defeat to Manchester City, QPR owner Tony Fernandes said today.

A startling headline in a newspaper yesterday announced that a warrant had been issued for the arrest of Steven Pienaar, who scored Everton’s potentially season-shifting equaliser on Sunday. Harsh, but fair, I briefly thought, before realising it was for a speeding offence.

Bolton manager Owen Coyle will lead the thanks to Tottenham for their impeccable behaviour after Fabrice Muamba’s cardiac arrest when the two sides play their re-arranged FA Cup quarter-final at White Hart Lane tonight.

Bolton manager Owen Coyle has revealed that Fabrice Muamba watched his team-mates in action against Blackburn on Match of the Day yesterday morning - and fell asleep when the score was 2-0.

The shortage of Premier League fixtures on Saturday meant Swansea’s flattening of Fulham took centre stage on Match of the Day, with their manager Brendan Rodgers interviewed by Gary Lineker via video link.

Manchester United have accepted the apologies of Liverpool striker Luis Suarez and manager Kenny Dalglish over their actions at yesterday’s Barclays Premier League game at Old Trafford.

PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor has warned that the game is heading for anarchy unless the FA step in to sort out Luis Suarez’s feud with Patrice Evra.

IT says a lot about the recent demise of Liverpool that the former Kings of Wembley have never played at the revamped national stadium while Manchester United have been there 12 times and Chelsea nine; so it is not difficult to understand why Wednesday’s Carling Cup semi-final second leg against Manchester City has become so important in the minds of supporters.

Even Socrates regretted not getting to close the deal with the most beautiful woman in the world. But as he said, it can happen, and he could always say he at least got to dance with her

COME the revolution (assuming it hasn’t already started), it will be the fixture schedulers who’ll be first up against my wall, due to their customary lack of consideration for the long-suffering travelling fans, without whom the Premiership’smulti-million pound TV product might not be nearly so palatable.

EVERY now and again, like Bono in a library, I like to give something back.

THE celebratory song has suddenly turned into a funeral dirge: it’s not coming home, it’s not coming home, football’s not coming home…

GOALLESS draws are no bad thing and, as Steven Gerrard will testify, can lead to much sought after prizes.

Sean St Ledger is hoping not to lose too much sleep over the prospect of trying to keep Thierry Henry and Nicolas Anelka at bay.

IT was a Freudian slip of epic proportions, one which perhaps revealed Alan Shearer wished he was back on the Match of the Day sofa, rather than watching a Newcastle performance best viewed from behind one.

LEADERS Clontarf retain top spot in the AIB League despite losing to UCD at Castle Avenue Saturday.